The adage – a basketball season is more of a marathon than a sprint – doesn’t apply to the Dolores boys basketball team. The Bears season has been altered this year because of postponements and downtime, turning each return to action into a series of sprints.
Dolores’ recent week off before their showdown Saturday with Dove Creek appeared to be more of a welcome breather rather than a rusty layover. The Bears looked crisp and decisive as they built an early lead and captured the third and final meeting between the two programs this season, 50-43.
Dolores (6-7, 3-3 2A/1A SJBL) saw the return of sophomore standout Cliff Bice, whose absence in a loss to Ignacio hurt the Bears’ offensive efficiency. His immediate impact came with midrange jumpers in the middle of the Dove Creek (9-8, 4-4 2A/1A SJBL) defense, as Bice compiled nine first-half points to guide the visitors to an early edge.
Bears senior Tru Seekins found his range early, knocking in a three- and a two-point field goal to push the lead to 16-9 after eight minutes.
Dove Creek, who had beaten Dolores 64-49 in December, regained its composure in the second quarter, rattling off a 7-0 run to tie the game. While Bulldog senior Kade Hankins put on his usual shooting display, it was senior Ryan Jarmon who helped bring Dove Creek back with interior offense and rebounds against Dolores big man Tyler Nowlin.
Seeing their lead evaporate in the second quarter and holding a slim 24-23 lead at the half, Dolores got a lift from senior Josh Ricca, who compiled one of his best games with a series of buckets to help Dolores expand its lead.
Classmate Wyatt Koskie also found his range, knocking in perimeter jumpers to put the Bears in front 38-33 with a quarter to play.
From there, Dolores fended off Dove Creek pressure, overcoming Jarmon’s 15-point outing and Bears free throws down the stretch. The Bulldogs, outside of Jarmon, struggled to find consistent scoring as the Bears forced Hankins into a rare off-night. After Dove Creek briefly cut the deficit to four points in the fourth quarter, Dolores ballooned the lead back to nine and never let Dove Creek have a sniff of a comeback.
Hankins matched Jarmon’s 15 points for game-high honors, but the Bears countered with 13 points from Bice and 10 from Ricca. Balance from the Bears – with eight points apiece for Seekins, Nowlin and Koskie, helped the Bears to move within a game of .500 as they make a final push to the district tournament.
Dolores faces a frenetic week, hosting Ouray Tuesday and Nucla Thursday before a pair of road games on Friday at Mancos and Saturday at Ignacio.
Dove Creek, meanwhile, faces a smoother path, albeit with plenty of regional bragging rights on the line. The Bulldogs travel to Monticello Thursday, looking to break a one-all season tie with the Buckaroos, before hosting Nucla on Friday, Feb. 18, to wrap up the regular season.
The Dove Creek mission to dominate the San Juan Basin League continued Saturday afternoon, as the Bulldogs scored the first 17 points against Dolores en route to a 55-10 victory.
Dove Creek junior Rylee Hickman scored 12 of the first 24 points for the hosts – finishing with 16 for the game – and helped Dove Creek (16-1, 5-0 2A/1A SJBL) build a 22-2 lead after one quarter, and 37-6 edge at halftime. Classmate Lexi Gray controlled inside play, owning the glass and adding 10 of her game-high 16 points in the second half.
Dolores (3-10, 1-3 2A/1A SJBL) picked up baskets from four players, including a three-pointer from senior Allie Kibel.
However, Dove Creek’s offensive efficiency proved to be too much – sophomore Kylie Gatlin scored eight points, to go with seven from junior Trista Barnett and five from senior Shania Kibel.
Dolores will finish the regular season with three games in three days, taking on Nucla, Mancos, and Ignacio on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively. Dove Creek looks to extend its 14-game winning streak against Monticello and Nucla on Thursday and Friday, capped with Senior Day on Feb. 18 against the Mustangs.
